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US Vice-President JD Vance Eyes Meeting with Pope Francis During Rome Visit
US Vice-President JD Vance is scheduled to visit Rome, Italy, this Friday, with meetings planned with the Italian Prime Minister and the Vatican Secretary of State. However, sources indicate that a primary, albeit unscheduled, objective for the devout Roman Catholic vice-president is to secure an encounter with Pope Francis during this significant Rome trip.
Hoping for Papal Audience
According to multiple sources familiar with the situation, Vice-President Vance is hoping for at least a brief audience with the 88-year-old pontiff. Such a meeting would be a central highlight of his visit to the Vatican City.
A meeting with Pope Francis would hold considerable symbolic importance, both politically and personally for Vance, especially during Easter week, the most sacred period in the Catholic Church calendar. One source close to Vance’s thinking highlighted the significance of this timing.
Furthermore, a Vatican encounter could suggest a potential improvement in relations between the Holy See and Washington. Tensions have been evident regarding issues of moral leadership and migration policies. Pope Francis has previously voiced concerns that mass deportations of individuals and families fleeing hardship or persecution infringe upon human dignity.
Symbolic Significance of a Potential Meeting
Father Roberto Regoli, a Professor of Church History at the Pontifical Gregorian University, emphasized, “Pope Francis and JD Vance represent leading figures in Catholicism today, one heading the Church and its hierarchy, the other a prominent layperson now serving as US Vice-President.”
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He added, “A meeting between individuals of such global influence would possess immense symbolic weight.”
Neither the White House nor the Vice-President’s office has responded to inquiries from the BBC regarding Vance’s visit. The Vatican has also not confirmed any formal or informal engagement with Vance.
Pope Francis’s Health and Public Appearances
Pope Francis’s health has been a concern following a recent hospitalization for double pneumonia. He spent five weeks in hospital and subsequently cancelled numerous official engagements upon returning to the Vatican a month ago.
However, with his health improving, Pope Francis has recently begun making surprise public appearances. Notably, he briefly met with King Charles III and Queen Camilla of the United Kingdom during their official visit to Italy just last week.
David Gibson, Director of the Center on Religion and Culture at Fordham University, a Jesuit institution in New York, stated, “A photo opportunity with Pope Francis would be a significant achievement for JD Vance. It would also demonstrate Pope Francis’s inclusive approach, reflecting his openness to meet diverse individuals, even those holding differing viewpoints.”
Gibson further noted that the absence of an encounter would inevitably lead to speculation regarding a potential snub or concerns about the Pope’s health.
Meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni
While the possibility of a papal meeting remains uncertain, a formal meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is confirmed. This bilateral meeting has been planned for several weeks.
Prime Minister Meloni, a Catholic and a leading figure in Europe’s populist right, shares ideological alignment with the current US administration, particularly on matters of migration and border security.
She is expected to host Vice-President Vance for a bilateral discussion following her own trip to Washington D.C., where she recently met with former President Donald Trump.
This meeting could further illustrate the developing ideological connections Vance seeks to foster in Europe. Meloni has emerged as a potential mediator between the United States and the European Union, especially concerning complex issues such as trade tariffs.
Italian officials indicate that Italy’s Deputy Prime Ministers, Matteo Salvini of the League party and Antonio Tajani of Forza Italia, will also join Vance and Meloni.
Vice-President Vance’s trip marks his first visit to Europe since his address at the Munich Security Conference in February, where he presented strong criticism of European leaders.
Tensions and Differing Views on Migration
At the Munich conference, Vance criticized European leaders for what he perceived as a decline in free speech, succumbing to political correctness, and losing touch with their citizens, particularly on matters of migration and national identity.
These tensions extend to the Vatican. Relations between the Vatican and previous US administration became strained due to hardline immigration policies, attracting criticism from Catholic leaders and Pope Francis.
Policies such as reductions in refugee programs, potential large-scale deportations, actions taken in places of worship, and efforts to limit birthright citizenship were condemned by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops as conflicting with the common good.
Pope Francis has consistently advocated for a more compassionate approach to migration, referencing Gospel teachings, including the parable of the Good Samaritan.
In a letter addressed to US bishops in February, Pope Francis expressed apprehension regarding US policies and implicitly challenged attempts, like Vance’s, to employ Catholic doctrine to validate strict immigration enforcement. The Pope stated, “Christians know very well that it is only by affirming the infinite dignity of all that our own identity as persons and as communities reaches its maturity”.
Gibson further commented, “A meeting between Pope Francis and JD Vance would certainly highlight the distinct contrast between their Catholic perspectives.”
“However,” Gibson added, “such a meeting could be beneficial for both. For Vance, appearing with the Pope might mitigate perceptions of him as being against the Church. For Pope Francis, it would showcase his inclusive nature, and importantly, being photographed alongside JD Vance could signal a significant step forward in his return to his wider public duties.”
Benefits for Vance and the Vatican
Sources suggest that Vice-President Vance could gain from associating with the moral authority of the papacy should a meeting or photograph with Pope Francis, leader of 1.2 billion Catholics worldwide, materialize.
Vance is scheduled to meet with a high-ranking Vatican official—Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State. He is also expected to participate in Easter Sunday ceremonies in Rome.
Vance’s Path to Catholicism
The Vice-President’s conversion to Catholicism occurred later in his life. Raised in a largely non-observant, evangelical background, Vance had an early affiliation with a Pentecostal church during adolescence but later distanced himself from organized religion.
He formally converted to Catholicism in August 2019 at the age of 35, at a Dominican priory in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Vance has explained that this decision arose from his search for a moral and philosophical framework to understand societal challenges, issues he explored in his widely acclaimed memoir, “Hillbilly Elegy.”
In a 2020 essay published in the Catholic magazine “The Lamp,” Vance wrote candidly about his spiritual evolution. He described his need for a worldview that addressed both individual accountability and systemic injustice.